The Unknown
by surely not i
Summary: War brings death and destruction but it also brings changes. But what if the war wasn't the end all and be all? And what if Harry can't come charging in on his white horse to save the day, once again? This time, its up to two very unlikely allies.
1. First

AN: Well, this is my first posted fic, and hopefully it's good enough to continue. I know this is rather short, but it's necessary to understand what happens later in the story. Please read and review, flames are welcome, but it's really more helpful to give me a way to improve my story rather than lament on just how sucky it was.

**I had to edit and repost, and lost my lovely reviews in the process :'( so please review?**

Disclaimer: Yes, I own Harry Potter. I also claim exclusive rights to couches, the letter P, the way some people combine front and room to get frunchroom instead of living room, and the process itself of blinking. No, seriously, not mine, though I do claim Lantur and Predak. : D

* * *

The war's end affected so much more than was expected. 

Voldemort had fallen by both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy's hands in their sixth year, Draco's actions shocking the entire wizarding community. Draco had not participated in the battle until he saw his father enter the fray, and then switched sides, much to the Death Eaters' horror. After seeing to his father's fall, he assisted his godfather Snape in holding the masses of Death Eaters back from Hogwarts. Draco had proven himself many times that day, from shielding Order members from wayward curses to protecting a fallen 5th year with his own body. The public no longer knew what to make of the name Malfoy, and with Draco's refusal to correspond with any press, the media could run only rumors and far-fetched tales of what might have prompted Draco's switch.

After Professor McGonagall's fall in the battle, Dumbledore was never quite the same. Gone was the twinkle that normally resided in his eyes, gone was the smile that used to hover over his features. Hogwarts figurehead seemed to lack the strength he once instilled in others, and the students and staff of Hogwarts felt the blow with every tired look and uninflected speech.

With all that changed, life at Hogwarts continued, but with some interesting twists. Snape finally took an assistant at Dumbledore's continued pestering that it was no longer necessary to retain a cover story of the overworked professor. Much to everyone's astonishment, he chose none other than Hermione Granger. It was a more subdued group of Slytherins that attended Hogwarts after seeing their classmate Crabbe struck down by an Auror and many of their parents imprisoned. The most change, it seemed, was wrought in Draco Malfoy. While his cold exterior remained in place, he stopped all harassment of Muggles and half bloods, and withdrew into himself, speaking only when spoken to, and quick to block any gestures of kindness or gratitude with sarcasm. The newly distant wizard was now avoided by all, regardless of the influential part he had played in the war. But the end of the war set in motion more things than anyone had ever realized, and new paths were set in unexpected directions.

* * *

"Miss Weasley!" 

Ginny Weasley started, jolted from her reverie of memories from the war by Professor Snape's irritated tones. Wide-eyed, she gaped as Snape moved toward her desk, his robes billowing behind him in a manner that she suddenly noticed was very disconcerting.

"I don't understand how you came to be in my class", Snape hissed, "Seeing as you obviously find it difficult to even take simple notes and pay attention." Snape paused to glance meaningfully at her empty parchment. "Do you have anything relatively intelligent to say for yourself?"

Ginny looked down at her blank paper, as if words might materialize there with further scrutiny. Ever since Dumbledore had allowed her the privilege of attending seventh year potions, Ginny felt that every minute she spent there was another minute she had to prove herself.

"I…uh…I…", Ginny stammered, trying to think of an excuse that wouldn't sound like one.

"Spit it out, Weasley!", Pansy Parkinson snapped from across the room, leering at any Griffindor that shot her a look for her impudence.

"5 points from Slytherin, Miss Parkinson, for speaking out of turn." Snape intoned this without ever breaking eye contact with Ginny. Since the war, favoritism toward Slytherins had all but vanished, but Snape's continual bad attitude toward students in general persisted, if not intensified. With a sigh, he whirled around and stalked back to his desk, muttering about the unreliability of any orders from Dumbledore. "Hopefully, the rest of you have managed to understand and retain the bare minimum of this lesson, and I shall expect two feet of parchment detailing the effects of the Draught of Sleeplessness by tomorrow. Class dismissed."

As Ginny packed her things, Harry and Hermione approached her, bearing identical sympathetic smiles. "Gin, you knew Double Potions with the Slytherins would be nothing short of a terror", Hermione gently chided. "Do try not to push Snape's buttons. It could be he's just having a bad day."

"More like a bad lifetime", Ginny muttered, earning herself a reproachful look from Hermione and a chuckle from Harry. The latter swung his arm around her shoulders, leading her out of the room while coaching a smile out of her by imitating Snape at his snarkiest, swagger and all. Across the room, a certain blond watched the interlude silently, but with an interest in his eyes that was rarely seen anymore.

* * *

"Lantur! Must you always land us in the worst possible place! We could have been seen!" 

A blonde sat on Hogwart's floor, coughing dust. She was a bit stocky as far as height went, with expressive brown eyes that were currently flashing in anger and disgust.

"It's not as if I can control this thing. Do stop your complaining, Predak. We're here to be seen anyway." This was said by a redhead with sky blue eyes that were currently surveying the corridor they had landed in, one before Great Hall. Fingering the Time Turner around her neck, she moved forward to help her twin up. "Let's see if we can do what we came here to do before it's too late. We don't have much time left."

The two girls turned as one, and began to search for the leader of the building, sticking to the shadows and avoiding students in an attempt to keep their presence hidden; for now.


	2. Second

Warning: I'd forgotten to put this in the first chapter, but there is a pre-fic character death. Sorries to anyone who particularly liked McGonagall's character, but this fic is not for you. Sorry again.

AN: Some people have been telling me they know what direction this is going in, and I promise, I'm not going to make it that simple. Yes, and this chapter is a bit longer as well. Here's the next chappie!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All I claim are Predak and Lantur.

Dumbledore sat in his office, staring blankly at the wall and chastising himself. The loss of one of his closest colleagues had hit him hard, and now all he did was replay the situation in his head, over and over again. She was his employee, his responsibility…. no, she was his friend. And now, she was gone, thanks to his oversight. What could he have done differently? He had been so close to finishing it, he hadn't even considered a fake ambush. And now…

He was startled out of his morbid thoughts by a prim knock on the door. Standing, he crossed the room, which was unkempt and needing a good cleaning. Opening his door, he saw Professor Sprout standing next to two young girls.

"Sir, I found them wandering the halls. They don't attend the school, and I frankly have no idea how they managed to get in at all." At this, Sprout gave the girls a suspicious glance. "Nevertheless, they are here, and they seem to be looking for you, Headmaster."

"Oh, thank you," Dumbledore replied distractedly."You may go."

With a last slanted glance toward the girls and a small smile and nod toward Dumbledore, she swept out of the room with surprising speed for someone of her stature. Dumbledore gazed after her, still contemplating his own thoughts.

"Is everyone in this building so untrusting?" The blonde muttered to the girl next to her. At this, Dumbledore turned his attention to the two girls standing before him.

A platinum blonde stared back insolently, as if in challenge to his authority. She had the look of someone who was used to getting into fights because of a sharp tongue, Dumbledore mused, and her huge brown eyes were filled with defiance. A redhead stood next to her, surveying him with cool blue eyes that added an interesting contrast with her hair. Dumbledore was taken aback by the cold calculation visible in her icy eyes, a look that was disturbingly familiar. Both girls were dressed in long robes that were like nothing he'd ever seen before; he came to the conclusion that wherever they were from, it was nowhere nearby.

"Is there something I can do for you two ladies?" Dumbledore inquired politely, mildly unsettled by the redhead's gaze.

"Sir", the blonde said, arrogance evident in her voice, "My name is Predak", here she inclined her head to the girl beside her, "And this is my twin Lantur. We have come to give a warning to you: Hogwarts, and the rest of the wizarding world, is in grave danger."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at this. "Right to the point, aren't you?"

Lantur cut in smoothly at Dumbledore's alarmed, yet somewhat skeptical look. "While I do not retract my sister's claim, I would like make the point that while this danger is far from immediate, it is indeed of utmost importance. We cannot tell you everything, nor force you to believe what we do say. But I ask", here she paused to consider her words, "I _implore_ you to understand that it is vital that you listen to us."

* * *

In the Slytherin common room, there was much speculation in Slytherin as to the identity of the two girls Sprout had been dragging to Dumbledore's office.

"Did you see the blonde? I mean, seriously", Theodore Nott stated appreciatively. "That girl was…. Damn…."

"The other girl really freaked me out… all she did was look at me, and I felt like she was looking right through me instead." One seventh year said this, shaking his head at the memory.

"Oh, will you all shut up!" Pansy said, impatience palpable in her voice. "They are probably just two stupid new students, Griffindors from the way they wandered so aimlessly around the school instead of doing whatever they came here for."

"Maybe they didn't come here to do something." Blaise Zabini interjected. "Maybe they came here to-"

Blaise never did get to finish his thought, for at that moment, Draco Malfoy walked into the room, and everyone instantly stopped talking. From the minute he'd switched sides, most upper year Slytherins distrusted him, feared him, or some combination of the two. He gave them each a blank look that spoke volumes, and left the room with its newly started whispers behind him.

* * *

Blaise sighed, looking to the door his former best friend had exited with trepidation. Ever since Draco had shown his true colors, all Slytherins called him traitor and it was taboo to even talk to him, let alone continue befriending him. But Blaise was starting to understand why Draco had tried to form his own way of thinking; after all, his parents were as controlling as any other Slytherins. But to disgrace your own house in the process? Blaise shook his head, recalling Draco's sudden request to enroll in Muggle Studies; it was unspokenly inappropriate for any pureblooded Slytherin to take. Still, Draco had always wanted to make a name for himself, separate from his fathers. He had been the epitome of ruthlessness, willing to hurt almost anyone to achieve his own ends. That was what Slytherins had looked up to him for. But Blaise had always sensed Draco wasn't satisfied with what he had, though he still was unsure of what exactly it was Draco wanted. So, when Draco switched sides suddenly, Blaise was the only Slytherin who hadn't been surprised; disappointed, yes, surprised, no. Blaise was starting to miss the only person who used to be straight forward and honest to the point of brutality, instead of the yes-men that he now had. But he didn't know if he could simply do what Draco had done and abandon his house. Sighing again, he turned his mind to more mundane topics. Thinking about Draco always gave him a headache.

* * *

Draco walked the halls without direction, not caring where he ended up, deep in thought. By now, he was used to his former "friends" warm welcomes, he thought wryly, and didn't mind anymore. Of course, the only reason he didn't mind was because he'd stopped caring altogether. Thinking back on all the times he had annoyed and harassed others, he smiled bitterly. Had he really enjoyed it? Of course he had. It was all he knew, and it was the only happiness he could fathom. There was no miraculous transformation to an upstanding and kind citizen of the wizarding world; there was only realization. Realization of how pointless his remarks were, how much they didn't matter in the long run, was what had driven him to stop his continual harassment.

His loyalty to his father had gotten him nowhere, and Draco had realized this with something akin to helplessness. Tired of all his decisions being made for him, tired of answering to someone to never cared about him, and tired of his life, he had switched sides, betraying all he knew in hope of…. what? He didn't know why he had done it at the time, and was no closer to figuring it out now. All he was sure of was not regretting his decision, no matter what came of it. It had given him freedom of a kind he had never known before, and he refused to believe he had done wrong.

He didn't know much else besides fear, whether it was being afraid for himself or imposing fear on others. So in the end, he had come to his conclusions, his only real truths in life, and resolved to stick to them as a means of survival.

Sensing that it was near time for his next class, he strode purposefully toward the room. Muggle Studies had been a way of showing people how much he had changed, now it was one of his favorite classes. He had never truly disliked muggles, and he was learning more everyday with his re-education of himself.

As he walked the halls, he thought about everything that had changed, everything that had been, and everything that could never be again. It hurt too much to care. It cost too much to trust.

* * *

Ginny half-walked, half-ran to her Muggle Studies class, praying that she was not yet late. She had just come out of yet another argument with Ronnie-kins, who was still bitter over Hermione's rejection of him. He was convinced that she fancied Harry, and when Ginny tried to soothe him by telling him that it just wasn't the right time, he had blown up at Ginny. She was still furious at his recent mood swings as she hurried to class, and it was this lack of attention that caused her to run straight into someone.

Ginny gasped as she began to fall backward, but two strong hands grabbed her shoulders, stilling her descent. She looked up into a pair of grayish-blue eyes that looked back at her in surprise- and was that amusement? The scene reminded her of something from long ago, and her hand flew to her mouth as she remembered the last time she had been in this position.

"Are you hurt?"

"I…uh…", Ginny stammered, feeling as if she was developing a stutter, just for today. First Snape, and now Draco too? She must have seriously pissed someone off in a past life. "I'm so sorry for running into you, obviously I wasn't paying attention-"

"Obviously", Draco said, though it was without any malice. He still kept his hands on her shoulders, and she wasn't entirely sure that she minded. This angered her even more for some reason, but looking into his eyes that were devoid of any of their trademark cruelty, she couldn't bring herself to do anything except get away…_fast_.

"Err…yes…so sorry again and I'll just be going…"

"You never answered my question." There was now most definite amusement shining in Draco's eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine…I mean no, I'm not hurt, and, oh, never mind." Ginny said, sure now of her developing speech impediment. She looked up in nothing short of shock as she heard a low chuckle.

"As long as you're fine." Draco said, removing his hands and leaving her feeling bereft. "We had better get to class."

Ginny scolded herself inwardly. What is wrong with me today? She jumped as she heard the bell, and scampered into the room, barely managing to make it to her desk before professor arrived.

* * *

Ginny found it difficult to concentrate, going over her literal run-in with Draco in her head. She knew he no longer tormented others, but never thought he would be kind, as every time she had seen him since the war he had been detached and aloof. But today, he had helped her, and not even bothered to insult her for his trouble. She couldn't help but remember that it was Draco who had protected her when she was in trouble during the final battle. Not Harry, or even Ron, though had he seen her, she was sure he would have come to her aid. But the fact that it was Draco left her more confused about him than ever.

The boy in question was also currently thinking about the war. Why had he protected her like that? There were others who could have used help. He'd never had a true problem with the Weasley family; names were nothing more than names to him. Draco inwardly smiled as he thought back on the famous (infamous, actually) Weasley temper and how fun it was to provoke them. Sure, they were poor, but if there were none who were poor, there couldn't be any rich either, which would have been unthinkable to Draco. But once again, it was his family's beliefs, and who was he to question them?

Both students were brought back to the present by a Hufflepuff first year bursting into the room. Somewhat breathlessly, he relayed his mention to the professor, who then turned and addressed the class.

"Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, you are to report to the Headmaster's office immediately."


	3. Third

Warning: See previous chapter

AN: Thanks a bunch to my reviewers, mairead and Kerichi…thank you so much kerichi, you gave me so much help! Huggles to you! Everyone who hasn't read A Tale of Two Matchmakers needs to go read it, immediately! …..ahem: that is all. :D

Disclaimer: Not mine.

As Ginny walked down the hall with Draco beside her, a million thoughts were going through her head. What could Dumbledore possibly want with both of them? She could see the puzzled look on Draco's face out of the corner of her eye. So, she mused, he has no idea what this is about either. This did nothing to settle the knots now forming in her stomach.

After a long walk, the little Hufflepuff motioned toward a door, then turned and almost ran away. He shot Draco a fearful glance as he went, earning himself a sneer from Draco that quickly evaporated into disinterest at Ginny's glance.

Why should I care what she thinks of me? Draco thought. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks of me anymore.

"Shall we?" he asked, walking to the door and grasping the knob. Strange, there were no magical passwords in place, he thought as he opened the door and entered, not waiting to see if the witch had followed-

And stopped dead in his tracks at the sight that was before him.

Ginny nearly ran into Draco again at his sudden stop, then, with a sigh, pushed past him with characteristic impatience. Her nerves really couldn't handle too much more of being in awkward situations, and she wanted to get this little social call over as quickly as possible. She also stopped dead as she saw two hauntingly familiar girls before her, both looking at her with odd expressions. Dumbledore was in the background, and he was seemingly in the middle of a sentence when they had made their entrance. The odd group stood silent for a minute, then one of the girls leaned over to the other and remarked in a stage whisper, "These people here aren't too quick on the uptake, are they?"

This broke Draco from his trance, and he gave the girl a glare reminiscent of his previous self. Turning to Dumbledore, he flatly asked, "Did you call us here simply to be insulted?"

Dumbledore opened his mouth to answer, but the redhead spoke first.

"I'm sorry. My sister Predak tends more toward saying the first thing on her mind than the most appropriate." Ignoring Predak's pointed glare, she continued. "I am Lantur, and as we have told Dumbledore, we have a specific reason for bringing you here."

"Bringing _us_ here?" Ginny echoed. "I don't remember ever seeing either of you here before."

Lantur granted her a small, placating smile. "Yes, that too we shall explain. This involves the two of you, as well as the person of authority in this building, and now that we have you all in one place, we can tell you our reasons."

Draco was still locked in a staring contest with Predak. Noticing this, Lantur sighed, then took Predak's arm and moved her aside, whispering words to her in a voice low enough that none other than her could even hear. Turning to face the group, Predak looked properly chastened.

"My apologies." Lantur said. "Now, I believe you will all wish to get comfortable, and I shall tell you everything I am able."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair after motioning toward a long bench where Draco and Ginny could sit. Ginny sat stiffly, watching the two girls with a confused, wary expression on her face. Draco, on the other hand, flopped down on the bench and made himself comfortable as suggested, watching the two girls with an air of practiced disinterest.

Taking a deep breath, Lantur began her explanation.

"My sister Predak and I are, to put it simply, not from around here. We found a Time Turner, and due to my sister's curiosity, decided to…. well, make use of it. In our travels, as you were, we found out something, ah, most troubling to say the least. Your old foe, Voldemort I believe, is not dead. He waits now as he has done before, and if no action is taken against him, he will rise once more and succeed in enslaving the wizarding world for his own purposes."

"How do you know this?" Draco demanded.

"This we cannot tell you." Lantur said, shaking her head as she spoke.

"When will this happen?" Dumbledore asked.

Lantur looked at him remorsefully, and again shook her head.

Narrowing his eyes, Draco spoke coldly.

"You tell us of death in our future, but you won't tell us when, or how you know this. How can you expect us to believe you?"

Lantur looked back at him just as coldly. "I expect you to believe us, Draco, because you have no other option. Unless you haven't noticed, there is a slight resemblance between Ginny and yourself, and Predak and I, is there not?"

Draco laughed without humor. "I suppose you expect us to believe that you're our children from the future now, is that it?"

At this, Predak spat, "Don't insult me."

Furrowing his brow, Dumbledore said, "I must admit, I had reached the same conclusion as Mr. Malfoy. Who are you then?"

Ginny had remained silent throughout this entire exchange, but now looked at Lantur with wonder. "I think I know who you are." She pronounced slowly.

Lantur smiled at her again. "Do tell."

"My mother always spoke of one called the Firelight, who was the head of the Weasley family at the time our feud with the Malfoys began." Here, Ginny paused and frowned, "But I never heard of this Firelight having a sister, let alone a twin. Also, any twin she did have wouldn't have looked so much like, well, her." she finished, jerking her head toward Predak, who looked a bit affronted at this.

"You see, as time goes on, people begin to care less and less about their heritage," Lantur mused. "Why has no one ever asked how your feud began?"

At this Ginny looked surprised, and a look of thoughtfulness flashed across Draco's face before resuming it's usual blank stare.

"You have no answer, I see. Well, this I am free to tell you, as it has already happened."

"Yay", Predak muttered. "History lesson."


	4. Fourth

AN: See, I told you I wasn't planning on making this that simple…if I've overlooked anything or you have any questions, please let me know. I do realize that this chapter is excruciatingly short, and for this I apologize. However, I felt the longer version of this chapter didn't make very much sense, so I opted for shorter but easier to understand.

Disclaimer: Have we not been through this before? Nothing has changed.

* * *

"At a time when magic was first being used widely, there were two families who bore the names Weasley and Malfoy. The two families were close friends, and it eventually led to a Weasley man's marriage to a Malfoy woman. They had only two children before they died, a set of twins whom they named Lantur and Predak. The meaning of these names were known only to them, but there is speculation that Lantur was a term used for the illumination given from a fire, and Predak was a term coined by the sun's rays. Anyway, family raised these twins after their parents' mysterious young death.

"The two girls were inseparable for years, until their twentieth birthday. There was an unknown argument that ended in a fight, and in the girls' rage, they separated and went to the family who had raised them: Predak to her mother's family and Lantur to her father's. Each family heard biased versions of what had truly occurred and began to regret their long friendship. Soon after, the Malfoys broke all ties with the Weasleys, annulled their deceased child's marriage, and denounced the Weasleys as subordinate. From that point on, no associations between the families were allowed. The families never overcame their differences, and it evolved into the one of the longest standing feuds in wizarding history. Apparently, it remains strong today."

Lantur hung her head in shame when she had finished her speech, managing to sound like she was reading out of a textbook despite her obvious discomfort. Predak shifted from foot to foot nervously, silent through Lantur's recital.

"Is this true?" Ginny asked hoarsely. Next to her, Draco was troubled by this new information that his father had apparently deigned to inform him of, but kept his blank expression through long years of practice.

"It is. If you require further proof, you may check the history books." Lantur said sadly.

"I don't understand." Dumbledore frowned. "You are both before us now, and you do not seem to be embroiled in argument currently. How can there be a feud? And how do you two know about it?"

"As I said, we discovered a Time Turner. This was in our seventeenth year. We went to the future and discovered not only our feud, but the rising of Voldemort for the third and final time." Here, Lantur shook her head. "Some things are meant to be, and some are not. It is inconceivable that it is the destiny of our world to fall into a form of chaos from which there is no return."

"But when you go back to your own time," Ginny said, "won't you know not to fight and begin the feud?"

At this, Predak spoke. "When we began our time travel, we knew there would be serious consequences to deal with if we acted differently then we would have had we remained I our own time. So, Lantur here developed a curse before we left that will cause us to immediately forget everything upon our return. It is set to hex us the instant we appear. As soon as it does, we won't remember traveling to begin with, and all will happen as it does in the history books."

"So basically, you go back to a time where it is certain you have only a few years before you never speak again?" Ginny asked sorrowfully. Draco almost snorted at her sensitivity. Why on earth would she be upset that people that she just met were having problems in the past?

"There are times when you have no choice in things." Lantur said heavily. "We could never have changed it, only never known about it, and the minute we return, we never will. We also must go back before you start your new war."

Draco was more worried about himself than the twins' plight. Voldemort was coming back? Shit. He was in some serious trouble now. It was never good for the guy you betrayed and killed to make a comeback. The safest place for him was not back in the middle of this thing; it was as far from He-Who-Just-Wouldn't-Give-Up as possible.

"Yes, well, I hope that this works out well for you," Draco said, rising smoothly. "Do write to let me know if the cost living is higher than before. And I mean that literally."

"Draco!" Lantur said, affronted. "I don't think you realize the gravity of this situation!"

"But I do. That is exactly why I'm not getting myself involved in it," Draco said, stretching and beginning to move toward the door.

"You selfish bastard!" Predak exploded. "All you care about is your own worthless skin!"

Draco stopped, turning and giving Predak a condescending look. "Of course. Who else will but me?"

"Malfoy, wait." Ginny rose and walked over to him. She rested her hand on his arm in a gesture that was supposed to be pacifying, but instead caused him to tense further. "Why don't we just hear them out?"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "No, why don't you hear them out? I, on the other hand, plan on staying alive for the next several years, and no demented witches claiming to be my ancestors are going to change that."

Predak was seething now, and she turned to Lantur in anger. "And you expect him," she jerked her head at Draco, "to help us? He'd probably have a knife in our backs the minute we turned around!"

Draco said nothing, just glanced pointedly at Ginny's arm. Seeing this, she hurriedly removed it, and he turned again to leave the room.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation later," Dumbledore said, watching Draco and Ginny's interaction with confusion. "This is…ah, quite a bit to take in at once."

"Suit yourself." Draco said, walking out of the room. Ginny looked at the twins.

'Talk to him, if you can," Lantur said gently. "I can understand how he'd be a bit difficult accepting this."

Ginny nodded, but still glanced at the twins warily before following Draco out of the room.

* * *

Ron, Harry, and Hermione were currently waiting next to Dumbledore's office after hearing a group of Slytherins speculating as to the reason "Dumbledore would need Malfoy and Weasel-queen for something."

"Ron, I'm sure there's nothing wrong at home-," Hermione started, before getting cut off as someone emerged from Dumbledore's office.

"Ginny! Is everythin- Malfoy! Where's my sister?" Ron yelled, going red in the face. Draco ignored him, brushing past him in an attempt to avoid all conversation, but Harry stepped right in front of him, blocking his path.

"What do you want, Potter?" Draco sounded more tired than actually angry, and it stopped Harry in his tracks.

"What did Dumbledore say to you and Ginny?" Harry said after a pause.

"Why don't you ask her?" Draco said softly, just as another person came out of the office behind them.

"Ginny! What's going on? Is everyone alright at home? There's nothing wrong, right?" Ron peppered his sister with questions, and Harry walked over, seeming to check Ginny for bodily harm.

"No, I'm fine, he just wanted to talk about-,"

"And why on earth was that bloody ferret with you? There is nothing that could possibly involve you with that…" Ron didn't seem to find the word to accurately portray his description of Draco.

"Oh, Ron…" Ginny started, surprised not to hear Draco's direct denial and probable insult to Ron. But when she spun to look for him, she saw that in all the confusion, he'd already left.

* * *

Draco walked aimlessly once again. He really was doing a lot of that these days, and it was just because he was thinking. This time, he was actually angry. How dare someone try to involve him in something that could cost his life? No one would care a bit if he died in this "new war", just so long as he helped them on the way out. _If_ there was a war to begin with. He shook his head as he remembered the girls' words. Related to him, indeed! A terror on legs and a know-it-all redhead? It reminded him of the Mudblood! He winced inwardly at this; he'd been doing so well not to use the term his father had loved so much. But to know that the Malfoys and Weasleys had once been close… It did make sense, they were two of the oldest families in wizarding history, and it was probable that at some time they had intermarried…

Draco shuddered to think that in some different circumstances, he could be related to Ron Weasley. To be close family friends with that animal! But then he would be related to Ginny as well… the littlest Weasley wasn't as bad as her brother, nor as judgmental. Resolving to worry about things like that later, he set about finding a way to disappear before he lost his chance. It was a shame he couldn't help out, but Draco needed to put Draco first now.

* * *

Ah, thank you so much to my reviewers! I heart all of you!

Kerichi: I know I kept in that one dramatic line in this chapter, but I did try to lighten it up later on! And I'm sorry about McGonagall! And with Hermione, who knows? ; )

Mairead: That I will!

Jenny/Rogue: Well, thank you very much! I was really worried about keeping everyone in character, and I feel better knowing I didn't do too terrible a job of it.

Pia: I should go for longer chapters, shouldn't I? I'll try my hardest next chapter, I promise!

If anyone has any suggestions for things they'd like to see in the story, do let me know, and I'll try to add them in! I'm a bit out of ideas right now, so the more people who let me know what they want to see, the quicker I can get the next chapter finished : D


	5. Fifth

Yes, yes, you know the disclaimer drill. Authors note at the end.

* * *

"Ginny, are you sure nothing's wrong? It isn't often Dumbledore himself gets involved in things now."

Ginny was fed up with Ron's protectiveness. He'd interrogated her through lunch as to what her visit had been about, but for some reason, she didn't feel comfortable telling him, or anyone for that matter. She realized that the minute Ron, Harry, and Hermione found out about a problem, they'd try to fix it, whether it concerned them or not. Maybe it was jealousy, she thought bitterly to herself. Maybe, for once, she didn't want to have to ride on the coattails of her older brother and company. Ginny knew on some level that keeping something hidden just to spite them was childish, but she didn't care. This was about her and Draco.

"Ron, leave her alone." Ginny sent Hermione a grateful look, but she was perhaps too quick with her thanks. "If Ginny wants to get an attitude about something this small, maybe we should just back off for a bit."

"Attitude? _Attitude!_ You haven't seen my attitude yet, Hermione!" If Ginny had been a little irritated before, now she was well and truly pissed off.

"Now you've done it," Harry muttered to Hermione from the corner of his mouth.

Ginny leapt to her feet and began to stalk around the common room. It had already been hastily vacated when people had seen two Weasleys in an argument. There was too much potential for full-scale fighting with Weasleys, and it seemed like this was the course that was going to run again.

"Not a single one of you three knows how to mind your own business! If I do not want to talk about something, I damn well won't! And it's not having an attitude, oh bossy one!" At this, Hermione looked wounded, but Ginny wasn't about to stop now. "It's understanding that if this didn't concern a person all three of you despise, no one would care what happened in that office!"

"Well, that's not true," Harry said slowly. "I don't despise Draco."

Ginny threw her hands in the air with an enraged yell, and then stalked toward the portrait hole.

"If anyone follows me, there will be hell to pay," she issued ominously, before slamming the portrait shut behind her.

Nothing was said for a moment before Ron suggested in a small voice, "PMS?"

"Oh, _honestly_," Hermione said angrily, mimicking Ginny's earlier gesture and leaving to her room.

Ron and Harry exchanged a shrug. "It must be a witch thing," Harry said wisely.

"Could be you're right… Anyway, fancy a game of Wizard's Chess?"

* * *

Ginny stormed outside, the path before her clearing as other students saw the furious look on her face. She continued on her warpath to the lake, where she stood throwing stones irately into the water and muttering about the controlling, ignorant, bossy ape she had for a brother.

"You know, talking to yourself is considered by many to be the first sign of insanity."

Ginny jumped and flung up her hand in defense reflexively, not realizing she still had a rock she'd meant to throw. It clipped the shoulder of the person standing before her.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Ginny was mortified. Caught talking to herself, and now she hit random people with stones? She'd end up in either Azkaban for assault on a fellow wizard or in a psychiatric ward.

"Hmm…"

"Draco?" Ginny immediately stopped feeling remorse. "Were you spying on me?"

Any other wizard would have snorted, but Draco just raised an eyebrow. "Hardly."

Ginny looked at him suspiciously, before gasping at his red and silver scarf. "You're wearing a Griffindor color!"

"And only a Griffindor would be so unbelievably arrogant as to believe they actually own a color."

Seeing that he wasn't about to expand on his reason for intruding on her argument with herself, she sat down suddenly, earning another odd look from Draco. Curling her legs up in front of her, she stared resolutely into the water.

Draco observed this in mild surprise, then amusement when he realized she was actually pouting. Her posture in itself made her seem less like the teenager she was and more like a young girl. Shaking his head to clear it, he turned to go. The last thing he needed was to be with a crazy witch who clearly preferred to be alone. That's why he was so surprised when she turned directly to him and began asking questions.

"Am I really that immature, that I need someone to watch over my every movement? I mean-," Ginny didn't even seem to be aware of who exactly it was she speaking to. "I'm not a small child, and I know Ron is my older brother and everything, but there is a point where he needs to accept that I don't require babysitting!"

Draco was considerably more uncomfortable than he'd ever been before in the presence of a Weasley. Anyone, for that matter. People didn't talk to him, let alone spill their problems to him, and he had no idea how to react to this.

"Err.."

"Oh, you just don't understand what it's like!" Ginny was still in her own little world, and Draco suspected she'd be having this entire dialogue with herself if he hadn't been there already.

"I've always had to be the baby in the family… I'm the one who gets into trouble and needs someone else to come help me out, but I wish for once people wouldn't expect so little of me." Ginny's eyes were starting to water now, and Draco sank helplessly to the ground beside her.

"And then Harry and Hermione come running in with their posses, and everyone forgets that it's usually them who started all the problems to begin with!" Ginny wasn't making much sense anymore, but tears were beginning to fall from her eyes, and Draco did the only thing he'd seen others do to offer comfort; he pulled her into his arms.

She didn't even protest, just turned her face into his chest and shook, her body wracked with sobs. Draco was surprised anyone would accept him as comfort, and not knowing what else to do, he began to rock slowly, murmuring words of encouragement into her ear.

Ginny lost track of how long she sat there. Even after the tears stopped coming, she didn't want to move. She'd never felt so safe in her life, and it confused her that it was Draco making her feel like this. He was being so gentle and…

Wait! She immediately stiffened. This was Draco Malfoy she was lamenting her troubles to! Sitting bolt upright, she met his eyes and was shocked to see hurt there. It was gone before she processed it, and he stood, looking down at her blankly. She winced, preparing herself for the incoming insult, but all Draco did was turn slowly and begin to walk away.

Ginny looked at her surroundings, from the dead leaves floating in the water to the vibrantly colored living ones on nearby trees. It was strange how even though all the leaves had come from the same place, some ended up as ugly masses while others were the embodiment of life.

"I won't tell your brother about this."

Ginny spun around to face Draco, unsure herself of whether it was to thank him or not, but he was already gone.

* * *

Draco walked slowly along the path to the other end of the castle's grounds. What was wrong with him? Why would he treat anyone with such kindness? Or perhaps the better question was, why would anyone trust him with their problems?

Draco had never thought of the youngest Weasley as anything but a sidekick to the trio. Apparantly, he wasn't alone. It had struck a chord to hear how people had already decided who she was before ever getting to know her, and he identified with her on a basic level. Similarity aside, he couldn't believe how little people cared about her, leaving her to cry by herself.

But she hadn't stayed by herself, now had she? No, he'd come along like a noble Griffindor and lent her a literal shoulder to cry on. Weakness like that would have disgusted him any other time. Somehow, though, it didn't seem like she considered it a weakness.

As long as it stays between the two of us, no one will know what I did, Draco thought. So I definitely won't tell her rotten brother and company.

Turning his steps in the direction of the building, he couldn't help but chance a small glance over his shoulder at the lake. The last thought he had before entering the building was wondering if she was still there, crying all alone.

* * *

A bit angst-y towards the end, wasn't it? Still, it's a bit difficult to write any scene where Draco has to be nice but stay "in" character, and DG is DG! Oh, well, on to thank yous!

Kerichi- My thoughts exactly. The guy just won't stay dead and gone!

Pia- Thank you very much for the long review, and it saddens me to have to dissapoint you with a short chapter again. But as long as you understand how it is: D Hopefully I can make up for the short chapters with quick updates! Thank you for the great suggestion, and I'll definitely have an element of that in the future!

DragonSpitfire22- I'm glad you like it! And I've already finished half of chapter six, so there should be a quick update!

I feel like I have to apologize again for the short chapters, but I can promise you, I won't write a chapter under 1000 words. (If I ever do, they will be 1000 damn well chosen words, too: D)

Iheart all my faithful reviewers!


	6. Sixth

Ginny sat on the grass near the lake, staring vacantly into the water. There was too much going on, and she didn't feel like she could handle everything. Engrossed in thought, she didn't realize how much time had passed, and again was startled by the presence of someone else.

"Ginny?"

Ginny let out a soft gasp, turning around. "Drac-," Looking up into the eyes of the person before her, she cursed herself internally. "Hey Seamus."

Seamus furrowed his brow at her earlier mistake, but said nothing about it. "We didn't see you at dinner, and when I asked Ron about it, he, uh," Seamus shifted nervously, as if searching for the right words, "didn't know."

Ginny laughed softly, but it sounded sad. "Well, maybe he didn't care to know. I did ask him not to follow me."

"Is something wrong?" Seamus asked concernedly, squatting next to her.

"Well, no not reall-," Ginny sharply caught her breath as she turned her head and saw how close Seamus was to her.

A moment passed like that, Seamus staring into her eyes as if making a decision. Then he slowly raised his hand to her face.

"Ginny," Seamus whispered reverently, haltingly, stroking her cheek. "Your brother doesn't appreciate you fully… he doesn't accept you for what you are now. He still sees a little girl… But that's not what I see anymore…"

Ginny said nothing, her eyes widening in alarm as she felt him lean toward her. He gently brushed her lips with his own. She couldn't think about her problems any longer, not with someone else right in front of her that seemed ready to accept her for who she really was. Tentatively, she returned the kiss, moving her hand to his shoulder.

Pulling away after a few seconds, Seamus beamed at her, and then helped her to her feet. "It's really getting cold out here. We should go in."

Ginny was still in an amount of shock, and said nothing more as Seamus took her hand and lead her back to the castle.

* * *

Draco had barely entered the castle when a low voice called to him. Sighing, he walked to the corner it was coming from to see Lantur sitting on a bench there. She looked tired, with deep bags under her eyes, and he felt a small jolt of sympathy that he quashed immediately. It wasn't his fault they were here, now was it? 

"Draco… I can understand how you might be, ah, _reluctant _to help us, but-,"

"Oh, I wouldn't call it reluctance," Draco said lightly. "I believe I tend more toward self preservation, if you must give a name to not wanting to be horribly maimed and killed."

"And I understand this," Lantur said gently. "But what will you do if you run?"

Nonplussed, Draco stared at her. "I'll be alive. I count that as a major pro to running away."

"And when you have nowhere else to run?"

"Everyone dies, eventually. I suppose I'll join the masses." Draco felt mildly gratified by Lantur's shocked expression at his nonchalant statement.

"Not everyone needs to die at the hands of an evil maniac. You could stop this!"

"And how," Draco said silkily, "Do you propose I go about that? And why are you asking me, of all people? Why not go ask Potter to save the world… again?"

"Because Harry Potter was not destined to be the next Merlin. Because Harry Potter is just a boy like yourself. And because this doesn't involve Harry Potter; not directly, anyway."

Draco slowly sat next to her. "I fail to see how Voldemort doesn't want to involve his greatest enemy in his next great attempt at world domination. If I was Harry, I'd want a cameo at the very least, if not a supporting role."

Lantur regarded his face solemnly. "You really think this is funny?"

"My sense of humor is warped, or so I've been told."

"Obviously." Lantur glanced skyward, as if looking for patience. "The reason Voldemort doesn't particularly care about Harry anymore is because Harry is no longer his 'greatest enemy', as you put it. You are."

Draco said nothing for a minute, and then returned his gaze to Lantur. "Well, I guess I'll have to pack sooner than I thought, won't I? I wonder how Italy is at this time of year…"

Lantur ignored his comments pointedly, continuing on. "So you see, Draco, you really don't have a huge choice in this."

"Well, that's nothing new."

"He will find you, and he will hurt you, unless you find him first. Do you still have the phrase: 'The early bird gets the worm'?

Draco stood. "Sure, but am I the bird or the worm?" Nodding over his shoulder out the open doors, he motioned to a spot over the far edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Over trees in the distance, all sounds of wildlife could be heard, from thundering hooves of centaurs to wild screeching from birds. But the most disturbing thing was the smoke that roiled across the sky slowly, moving in no specific direction. It seemed like a marker for something to Draco… But of course, he mused, it could be a marker for some_one_.

Lantur gasped, jumping to her feet. "I must tell Dumbledore immediately, and then Predak and I must go."

"Who's running now?" Draco asked with a smirk.

"Draco, you know we don't have the option of staying in the danger of this… Just think about what I've said."

With that, Lantur took off in the direction of Dumbledore's office, her long skirts flapping behind her. Draco leaned against the doors, hearing the scream of students just noticing the smoke. He watched it carefully for a minute, feeling his newly constructed world breaking down around him and then turned back to the corridors. It was time to have a chat with his godfather.

* * *

"Ginny! Where the hell have you been?" 

Ginny sighed. Not back a full minute, but then she had been bombarded with similar questions since Seamus had entered through the portrait hole with her in tow. Ron walked forward, staring quizzically at her hand, still intertwined with Seamus'.

"Oh, _hell_-,"

"Ron," Harry interrupted, stepping forward. He whispered urgently in his ear a moment, and Ron grimaced but nodded his head.

"So, Ginny, why didn't you tell us where you were going? I was, er, um, _worried_." All this was spoken through gritted teeth, and Ginny thought it was a wonder Ron's earlier tirade had been staved off.

"I was sitting by the lake and fell asleep." Ginny improvised. It wasn't entirely a lie, she told herself.

"Ginny, we were really worried when you didn't show up to dinner," Hermione said.

Ron turned and looked squarely at Hermione. "No, I was worried. All you did was sit and do homework, as always!"

"Ron! Will you stop being so childish?" Hermione sighed. "I thought we were over this whole-,"

"Guys!" Harry yelled. "If you are going to fight again over why you aren't getting together, please do it elsewhere!"

"Who said anything about that?" Ron asked suspiciously

Throughout this entire interaction, Ginny, Seamus, and a gaggle of studying third years watched the confrontation with mixed emotions. Seamus looked confused, Ginny looked bored, and the third years looked like they wanted to have this filmed.

"You know what, Ron? Maybe I did turn you down for a reason!" With that, Hermione spun around, grabbed an unsuspecting Harry, and kissed him soundly on the lips.

Ginny's eyes widened, Seamus' jaw dropped, and the third years let out a remarkably concurrent gasp.

"Oh, I see what you were trying to do, Harry!" Ron was now livid, but hurt and betrayal could be seen in his eyes.

Harry still looked shocked, but was waving his arms wildly now, denying any previous knowledge. Hermione said nothing, but her cheeks had colored tremendously.

"Ron, I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from, but Harry didn't do anything wrong!" Hermione said, wringing her hands.

"Shut up," Ron said wearily, sinking down into an armchair. "Just shut up." The anger had leaked out of his eyes, and now he looked broken.

"I'm so sorry Ron," Hermione whispered. Her eyes started to mist over, and with a sob she grabbed her bag and ran out of the room.

Harry looked after her uncertainly, and then back at Ron, who shook his head. "Go after her."

Harry took a few steps in Ron's direction, but Ron stopped him with another shake of his head. "Just go."

With a last glance at his hurt best friend, Harry turned and followed Hermione out of the room.

There was nothing to be said. Ginny walked over to Ron, forgetting their previous argument. "Oh, Ron…"

Ron looked lost. "Ginny, those were my two best friends… I don't… I can't believe they would…"

"Shh," Ginny soothed, stroking his hair like their mother used to do when they were younger. Their earlier argument was forgotten. "It'll be alright, Ron. It'll be alright."

Seamus walked up slowly. "Come on Ron, let's get you upstairs."

Ron said nothing, just stood and walked to his room, leaving Ginny and Seamus there, staring at each other.

"Seamus," Ginny said softly. "It's been a really long day, and I think I'm just going to go on to bed."

"Yeah," Seamus said, looking dubiously at the portrait hole. "Yeah, alright, we'll talk tomorrow." Before Ginny could protest, he'd leaned in and gave her a swift peck on the cheek. "Tomorrow, we'll figure everything out."

Seamus followed the way Ron had gone, and Ginny looked into the fire. If she'd started the day off confused, now she was downright mystified. Sighing, she turned to the girls' dormitories. Maybe she should just worry about all this tomorrow.

* * *

"Whomever it is, know that I likely have something more important than your troubles at the moment." 

Draco nearly groaned at his godfather's usual kind welcome, but settled for flinging the door open a bit more harshly than was strictly necessary.

Snape's scowl in the direction of the door changed to one of mild surprise as he saw who had come calling.

"Draco," Snape said, standing and moving to the front of his desk. "To what do I owe the honor?" Since the end of the war, Draco had never come to speak with his godfather for any reason.

"Not to what," Draco mused aloud. "To whom."

Snape said nothing, but frowned a bit in Draco's direction.

Draco sat in one of the chairs in front of Snape's desk, noting with a grimace how uncomfortable they were.

Snape seemed amused by Draco's reaction to his chairs. "Draco, I understand there are thing about the war you'd rather forget," Here he paused, shaking his head minutely as if to clear it, "But I had anticipated your coming to me with any questions about what transpired over the last several years. I was disillusioned by your avoidance of me at all costs."

Draco was taken aback by Snape's straightforwardness. "Why would I come to a Death Eater for advice?"

"You followed one for five years."

Draco scowled at that. "That was different."

Snape looked at Draco incredulously. "You truly think so?"

Draco shifted uncomfortably. He was beginning to regret coming here, but there was nowhere else to turn. "What was done is finished now. I couldn't go to you because I knew that you would tell my father."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "When I was a spy for Dumbledore?"

"A spy?" Draco frowned. "For how long?"

"Years."

Draco's mind was reeling with this new information. At the same time, he was beginning to anger. He hadn't been alone?

"You were a spy," Draco said silkily, "And someone I could go to for help. And no one told me?"

Snape looked at Draco. "You weren't aware? I'd thought you'd known since the Fall."

"I'd thought you had done what I did!"

"And switched on the spur of the moment?" Snape shook his head. "I'd orchestrated the scenario in the Order's favour."

"What Order?"

Snape looked at Draco oddly. "Why don't you know these things? Did you never wonder?"

"No one told me anything!"

"It was your business to find out."

Draco said nothing. He was processing this new information. However, he still needed to get advice for his current dilemma.

"I need to speak with you."

Snape waved his hand carelessly in front of the fireplace, where two comfy looking armchairs materialized. "It is my bet that this will take a fair amount of time."

Draco's eyes widened. "Wandless magic? I know you had mentioned something about no foolish wand waving, but I had no idea."

"Yes…" Snape said, moving to one of the armchairs. "It is gratifying to know that someone besides Granger has paid attention at some point."

Draco also sat. "Where to begin?"

The two wizards began what looked to be a long chat, the fireplace crackling between them.

* * *

AN: Oh, don't shoot me about Seamus, not now when I've just figured out how to write a decent lengthened chapter! The story is still DG, but did you really expect one instance of Draco being relatively nice would cause Ginny to swear off all other human contact? Come now. We all know how unrealistic that is. If anyone wants to know my further reasoning for putting it in, do ask and I'll be more than happy to clarify it for you. 

Kerichi- I like Draco. Full stop. I don't even mind the snarkiness : D But it's always nice to have _him_ nice, wouldn't you agree? ; )

Pia- I'm glad to hear you weren't disappointed! I too prefer a happy ending, but I do understand that there are some stories that must be tempered with grief to fully understand the conclusion. And your suggestions are very helpful indeed. I don't find them confusing at all, and please don't stop giving them!

Padfoot in Purple- It's great to hear something so uplifting! And because I was so worried about Draco's character, it's also great to hear that I've managed to keep him relatively "in" character as well! I will say that at the time chapter five went up, your impression was dead on, but I did decide to add a few scenes for length, which is why it's taken a bit longer than expected to put this chapter up.

Embellished- Hmmm…. Is Draco ever that simple? Heh heh...

Wow… I've really reached an impasse. Please review, preferably with a suggestion or two, and hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to write.


	7. Seventh

Early morning was always a stunning time at Hogwarts. The students were still abed, leaving the grounds peacefully quiet. Sunrise could be seen over the Forest with each new dawn, and the lake glittered, its surface still. All this beauty was lost on the redhead pacing in front of her window.

Ginny felt as though she had had tops, two hours of sleep. There was so much to think about, she couldn't stay asleep long before waking up in a cold sweat. If Voldemort was coming back, then she would have to face Tom again… And Seamus, what if he was just toying with her because he was bored? Why had Draco been so nice to her? And what was going to happen with the golden trio? The questions had finally chased her from sleep, and she'd been thinking for hours. Unfortunately, she was no closer to a solution for any of her problems than she'd been yesterday evening.

Sitting on her bed, Ginny looked over at the sleeping forms of the other 6th year girls enviously. If only they knew there was a whole world beyond Witch Weekly and spelled makeup and the fabulous Harry Potter and the sexy, brooding Draco Malfoy… What?

With a low groan so as not to disturb her oblivious schoolmates, Ginny flopped back onto pillow, resigning herself to the remainder of her sleepless night.

* * *

In another part of the castle, a different student also prowled his room restlessly. Draco had spoken with his godfather for hours, and the "chat" lasted well into the night. However, it had been wildly informative, and Draco was disgusted with himself for not bothering to ask earlier. All this new information could be extremely useful in the future.

Draco snickered to himself as he thought of Dumbledore's reaction to the smoke sighting earlier. Instead of being productive and trying to ascertain the cause, he had predictably only reinforced his previous ban on the Forest itself. Barmy old codger. When, exactly, had that approach ever worked?

Well, it didn't matter to him, because he was already formulating a plan to rid himself of Dumbledore, Voldemort, and the crazy twins. And it involved a lot less risk to his person than what they proposed. He had already begun the steps, planning to convert and move his many Galleons into muggle accounts overseas, and instructing his house elves via owl to begin packing his belongings. All he had to wait for was the next Hogsmeade visit (providing it wasn't canceled, he thought grimly) and then he'd be gone.

* * *

When the rest of Hogwart's population joined Ginny and Draco in alertness, many were shocked by the interactions of Harry, Ron, and Hermione at breakfast. Ron had moved to sit by Seamus and Ginny at one end of the Griffindor table, while Harry and Hermione sat at the other end, unspeaking.

Ginny was still confused about all the situations she had to deal with, and now she was exhausted as well. She sat staring blankly at the jug of pumpkin juice as Seamus noisily discussed the upcoming qudditch match between Ravenclaw and Griffindor with Dean. Ron was also silent, eating mechanically.

"Ginny, are you sure you're alright?" Seamus asked, resting his hand on her shoulder in a way that was supposed to be comforting. She considered answering his question truthfully.

_No._ "Yeah, I'm just a bit tired."

"All right, if you say so," he replied worriedly, patting her shoulder gently before returning to his previous conversation with Dean.

Ginny sighed, feeling oddly disappointed that he wasn't going to press the issue. She needed answers about all these things, and she wasn't going to find them with Seamus. Letting her gaze wander around the room, she again felt a strange jealousy of the other carefree students. But then she noticed Draco, oddly sitting with Blaise instead of by himself. He had some idea of what was going on with the twins. He could help her with that, at least.

He could, a nasty voice said in the back of her mind, but will he?

Resolving to ask Draco despite her long track record with his insults, she began to pile eggs on her plate, suddenly ravenous.

* * *

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

Draco looked up, hiding his surprise. No one tried to speak to him lately, just ignored and avoided him. He still wasn't sure if he minded, but it would have been nice to have someone to talk to occasionally.

"I don't own the table," Draco said, suspicious of Blaise's sudden friendliness.

Blaise sat beside Draco, saying nothing for a moment. Then he turned to Draco, confusion evident on his face.

"Draco, we used to be best mates… You could have told me if you wanted to do something about your father-,"

Draco looked at Blaise emotionlessly. "And you would have listened? Or would you have run to him like all the rest of his cronies?"

Draco noticed Blaise had the decency to pause and think about his answer. "I don't know."

Draco watched Blaise's face carefully. "Why did you come here to talk to me?"

Blaise looked unsure. "I don't know."

Draco smirked at this, showing a bit of the old Draco. "You don't know a whole hell of a lot, it seems."

Chagrin was evident on Blaise's face. "I know it hasn't been easy for you lately. Hell, some of it was my fault. But while I may never understand you as a person, I understand why you did what you did."

Blaise looked Draco straight in the eyes, as if willing him to believe him. "I was too afraid to challenge everyone and stay loyal to you. But that won't happen anymore. I want my friend back."

Draco didn't know what to say. It was an oddly impassioned speech for a Slytherin, let alone a guy.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"I'll prove it to you, any way I can."

Draco mulled things over. Maybe if he gave Blaise a second chance… The idea of once more being able to confide in someone overthrew his doubts.

"Merlin help you if you betray me."

Blaise hid a smile at this, turning his attention to his food. "No, Draco. I have no one to betray you to."

The two boys ate awkwardly for a few minutes, starting a tentative conversation. By the end of breakfast, they were discussing the latest antics of Pansy just as they used to before. The rest of Slytherin table looked scandalized at Blaise's speaking to Draco, confirming Blaise's innocence in Draco's eyes.

Snickering at something Blaise had said, Draco began to feel as if running away was losing its appeal quickly.

* * *

Ginny watched Draco and Blaise speak for the remainder of breakfast then saw Draco get up, stretching his arms over his head and saying one last thing to Blaise, who nodded and poured himself more pumpkin juice. Draco then turned to walk out of the room.

Quickly saying goodbye to a silent Ron and ever-confused Seamus, she moved quickly toward the doors.

* * *

"Draco?"

Draco paused, turning to see Ginny Weasley running after him. Two other students trying to speak with him in one day. Must be a record.

"Last time I checked."

Ginny stepped before him, panting lightly from her exertion. "I, uh, wanted to know what you planned on doing for that-,"

Here Ginny was cut off as Draco grabbed her and pulled her with him behind a tapestry in the hallway.

Too surprised to speak, Ginny gaped up at Draco who gestured for her to stay silent. Acutely aware of where their bodies were touching, from his hand still resting lightly on her waist to her chest pressed against his, Ginny felt light headed. Then, she heard voices outside their hiding place.

"Harry, I know what I saw. Ginny was chasing after Draco!"

"Hermione, maybe they were just leaving at the same time."

"Well, I am going to keep looking."

The voices became more and more faint until Ginny was sure Harry and Hermione had left. Loath to leave Draco's arms, she stood still, hesitant of whether to move or not.

Draco solved the problem for her, disengaging his arms and moving from behind the tapestry. Sighing, she followed back into the now-deserted hallway.

"It looked like you didn't want to deal with that right then." Draco said by way of an explanation, gesturing down the other hall where Harry and Hermione had gone.

"Thanks," Ginny said shyly, having never seen a considerate Draco before.

"I believe you were saying something," here Draco held up his hand when she tried to speak, "But we should probably continue this conversation somewhere more private."

Private. Just word made Ginny's hormones think of what else they could be doing in private.

"Follow me," Draco said when Ginny remained silent. Turning, he strode down a hallway. Ginny started at his suddenness, then half jogged to catch up.

* * *

What the hell was he doing? Draco thought as he led Ginny back to the Slytherin common room. He hoped there was no one in there, or else they might break their silence with him for very bad reasons.

Muttering the password (Scarhead) he entered, furtively looking around for other presences. Seeing no one, he headed toward the boys dormitories before turning and seeing Ginny still standing at the entrance, looking vaguely wary.

With an impatient noise, Draco stalked back to the entrance and grabbed her hand, ignoring the frisson of electricity he felt at the simple touch. He gently pulled her up the stairs and into his room. He'd been granted a separate room for "necessary reasons" after his switch in the war, specifically for his own safety. The room had been spelled so only he and whomever he granted express permission could open it.

Dropping her hand after he entered, he turned to look at her blank face expectantly.

"Well? You can talk here safely."

Ginny licked her lips dryly, causing Draco's gaze to drift lower. There was seriously something wrong with him, if he was ogling Ginny.

"Weasley…" Draco said, allowing a hint of impatience to seep into his voice to hide his sudden awareness of her as a female. He really wished she would stop looking so vulnerable. Maybe it had been a mistake to bring her here.

* * *

Maybe it was a mistake to come here, Ginny thought. She was trying so hard to not let her desire for Draco show, she was sure she looked insane. Taking a deep breath, she failed to notice Draco's intense gaze drop to her chest, which rose with her breathing.

I can do this, Ginny told herself. I _can_ do this.

"I wanted to know," Ginny began, marveling at how steady her voice sounded, "what you planned to do about what we found out yesterday in Dumbledore's office."

Draco moved to his bed, and then lay down on his back. "I thought I knew, but I'm not sure anymore."

Ginny nodded sympathetically, sitting beside Draco as he continued. "I don't want to get myself involved in this too much, but it seems to be all or nothing."

Ginny also lay back, feeling more at ease at his openness. "It does seem that way, doesn't it?" she agreed, sneaking a glance to see his expression. He seemed troubled, and stared straight at the ceiling.

"I noticed you were sitting with that Irish kid." Draco said without emotion, never meeting Ginny's eyes.

"Yeah," Ginny said, clearing her throat. "I guess we're sort of together."

They stayed like that for a few minutes, neither speaking. Both were deep in thought.

"What do they want us to do?" Ginny asked suddenly, sitting up. "It's not like we can control this!"

Draco sat up as well, looking at her face, which was flushed in sudden, righteous anger. She looked-

No! No, he couldn't think about that. It didn't matter how she looked. It didn't matter if her eyes were the warmest brown he'd ever seen. He wasn't going to think about how she had felt under his hands before. He couldn't. She had innocence about her that he wasn't about to ruin. It took a lot to admit it, even to himself, but she was truly too good for him.

Ginny watched Draco's eyes begin to cloud over with desire, and her lips parted unconsciously as his head began to lower to hers.

Draco's lips had almost touched Ginny's before a sound was heard from the common room below.

With a swear, Draco jumped backward, nearly falling off the bed. Ginny stood, flustered at their near kiss. Both avoided the other's eyes carefully.

"Maybe I should go," Ginny said hastily, edging toward the door.

"Yeah," Draco said distractedly. "Come on."

Ginny noticed he didn't take her hand this time. The two of them crept toward the common room door, and had almost reached it when it swung half open.

* * *

Draco was furious with himself. He had better control than this! His top priority was now getting Ginny out of here, where she never should have been in the first place.

His hand was outstretched toward the door, when it opened, and he met Blaise's surprised eyes.

Blaise's eyes widened, and then widened further when he saw Ginny. He opened his mouth and Draco winced as he realized there were other people behind Blaise. How was he going to explain this?

"Guys, weren't we supposed to have a Hogsmeade weekend?" Blaise said, giving Draco a wink. "Why don't we go get that old bat Dumbledore to deliver?"

Draco felt relief wash over him, but it was short lived.

"Blaise, you dunce. Next week is the Hogsmeade week."

"Yeah, stop blocking the door!"

Blaise looked at Draco in alarm, but Draco had already turned, grabbed Ginny, and ran up the stairs again. Blaise watched the very edge of Ginny's Griffindor scarlet robes snap around the corner before allowing the door to swing open completely. What was he up to?

"Sorry, guys," Blaise said with a sheepish grin. "Must have gotten confused."

* * *

Ginny was back in Draco's room, breathing heavily at their near detection. "I'll guess we'll have to wait until everyone goes off to class."

Draco looked at Ginny as if she were crazy. "It's Saturday."

Ginny groaned, falling backwards onto the bed as a knock sounded at the door.

Draco looked out the muggle contraption Dumbledore had insisted was useful, the "peephole". "It's Blaise."

"I didn't know you two were close," Ginny said, rolling to her stomach.

"Neither did I," Draco muttered. He opened the door to admit Blaise who walked in and turned to Draco expectantly.

"I suppose you want an explanation," Draco began, but was cut off by Blaise.

"Not necessarily. Do you trust me now?"

Draco was more than a little surprised. "Yeah, I guess."

Blaise smiled. "Good." Blaise then looked at Ginny. "Now then, who might you be, beautiful?"

Ginny flushed with his praise, and Draco scowled. "She's a friend."

Ginny had bite back a grin at Draco, who was glowering at Blaise as he stepped forward placing a kiss on the back of her palm.

"I'm Ginny."

Blaise grinned. "A Weasley, eh? Well, if you're okay by Draco, you're okay by me."

Draco frowned. "You're not the slightest bit curious why a Griffindor is in my room?"

Blaise winked conspiratorially. "Naw, mate, and I'd appreciate if you kept the sordid details to yourself."

Ginny laughed aloud as Draco immediately threw the nearest thing (1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi) at an amused Blaise.

"Anywho," Blaise sniffed as he dodged Draco's book, "it looks like you are going to be here for awhile. You might want to consider getting food sent up."

Draco groaned, dropping his face to his hands. "Oh, shit!"

Blaise looped an arm around Draco and Ginny's shoulders. "Aw, it won't be that bad! The three of us can have some great fun with a good amount of Firewhisky!"

"The three of us?" Draco said suspiciously, raising his head.

"Unless you two wanted to be alone…"

Ginny chuckled as Blaise again dodged Draco's strike.

* * *

Draco was actually happy, a feeling he didn't remember having often. The three of them had guzzled the contents of three bottles of Firewhisky, with Ginny at first sticking to Butterbeer but ending up as bad as Draco and Blaise eventually. They had told crazy stories about Potter and other things for hours, and now it was late enough for Ginny to safely depart from Slytherin, but he didn't want her to leave.

Blaise, having drank more than Draco and Ginny combined, was conked out on a chair, snoring noisily, which was an endless source of amusement for Draco and Ginny, who laughed maniacally at any particularly vociferous snore.

Draco collapsed onto his bed, a giggling Ginny beside him. Turning to face her, he noticed he was close enough to count the freckles dusted on the bridge of her nose and cheeks. His hand came up of its own accord to brush her hair back from her face.

"We can't do this…" Draco muttered, unable to stop touching her.

"Kiss me, Draco" Ginny breathed.

Draco's lips lowered to Ginny's, and suddenly she couldn't think about how funny Blaise sounded, or how late it was, or how wrong considering Seamus. She only slipped her arms around Draco as he deepened the kiss, sliding one of his hands behind her head to angle it properly. She heard a moan, not realizing it was her own, as Draco moved over her, never lifting his lips from hers.

She was unable to stop, unable to think, unable to do anything but return his kiss, which was slowly becoming less languid and more urgent. Her world was slipping into darkness, and she clung to Draco as everything spun around her.

* * *

AN: Alrighty then. Finally, some DG! I realize this chapter took a while to get up, but I figured seeing as it was the longest thus far, I would be forgiven, right? Right?

I'll be starting a joint fic soon with Pia OLeary, and it will be at the account Ebony Secrets, if anyone wants to read it when it's up : D

Embellished- Lol yes there are quite a few complications!

Pia- It's ok, I hate Harry too! Thanks for your extra long review, and Ron will most definitely get his revenge. Great suggestion, and I plan on involving something to that effect.

Padfoot in Purple- I'm glad you liked that part! I was giggling like mad the entire time I wrote this chapter, so I'm glad someone else thought it was funny too! Any suggestions are useful, but I know sometimes it's hard to think of anything, so no worries!

Thanks a bunch to all my loyal reviewers! **Huggles** to all of you!


	8. Eighth

Early morning rays filtered through the window, disturbing Ginny's sleep. It had been the first night in a while that she had slept well, she mused. She yawned, shutting her eyes again against the painful light and stretching. Her arm encountered something else in the bed, however.

Ginny slowly turned her head, afraid of what she might see. "Argh!"

* * *

Draco was having a very odd dream indeed. In it, a woman's voice crooned nothings into his ear, and he vaguely realized he was in his own bed. Then the woman's soothing voice turned to a scream, and he frowned before realizing he was now awake. Shaking his head to clear it, he winced as a jolt of pain went through his befuddled senses. What on earth was wrong with him? It felt like… oh no… 

He turned and met the eyes of a startled Ginny Weasley, who was currently looking at him like he had grown several more heads than was usual.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

* * *

Ginny had hoped it was all a bad dream, and that she was actually snug in her bed in Griffindor. But upon hearing Draco's rude words, she had the sinking realization that this was real, and she was not in her room, but Draco's. 

"Oh, shit," she swore uncharacteristically, trying desperately to remember what had happened the previous night. A quick glance down ascertained the continual presence of her clothes, and she inwardly sighed in relief. The last thing she remembered was Blaise coming in, and as she looked around she saw that, apparently, more had happened that she couldn't recollect. Draco's once pristine room was covered in multiple bottles, some of which had spilled their contents on any available surface. Blaise was also missing, and she assumed he had removed himself without bothering to wake either her or Draco.

Facing the other current occupant of the room, Ginny couldn't stifle a giggle at Draco's hair, which had arranged itself in many gravity-defying directions. Her laugh broke the silence, and Draco turned to a mirror, scowling at his untidy reflection, which only elicited more laughter from Ginny. Draco was taken aback at how the sunlight filtered through her hair, causing a halo around her head. She still retained her spark, even in a situation such as this, he thought wryly.

Ginny finally got her mirth under control, clutching her head in pain. "Oh, Merlin, what did I do yesterday?" Staggering up from Draco's bed, she looked around, bewildered. "And where's my bag?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Was that your first time drunk?" he asked, not bothering to answer her question.

Ginny considered this. It was obvious that some drinking had taken place, but it never occurred to her that she'd been drunk. That would explain quite a bit…

"Weasley?" Draco called when she didn't respond.

"Well, no," Ginny answered his previous question absentmindedly. "Bill brought a case of butterbeer home one day, and Fred and George thought it would be great fun to trick me and Ron into drinking it. All of it."

While she spoke, Ginny was scanning the room. "Malfoy, where's my bag?" She repeated irritably.

Draco slid smoothly off his bed, shooting her another condescending look. "Yesterday was Saturday. You hadn't brought a bag."

"Oh," Ginny said, blushing at how stupid she must have sounded. "Well, I'll just be- Argh!"

Draco winced as she yelled again. Was it necessary for anyone to be that vocal in the morning?

Ginny was staring at her own reflection in the mirror, looking stricken. As he watched, she pulled her shirt to one side, revealing an unmistakable red mark on the side of her neck. Draco's eyes widened at the evidence that something had ostensibly transpired yesterday.

"Are you quite sure the Irish bloke didn't do that?" Draco asked carefully, not wanting to set off her temper.

"Of course I'm sure!" Ginny said angrily. "I think I would have noticed if he'd been biting my neck!"

Draco wisely omitted asking why she had let him do it, then.

Ginny opened her mouth again, presumably to continue berating him, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Draco sighed, already knowing who it was. "Come in, Blaise."

Blaise burst in, observing Ginny's presence before even looking at Draco. "Spent the night, did we?" Blaise asked Ginny by way of any greeting.

"Good morning to you, too," Draco muttered.

"You would know!" Ginny said, motioning to the bottles littering Draco's floor. "This was all your doing!"

Blaise held up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, I'll admit I might have had a _minor _part in this," Ginny snorted, putting her hands on her hips, "But I did it for my good friends!"

"I'd never spoken to you in my life before yesterday!"

"All the more reason to have a getting-to-know-you gathering!" Blaise said brightly.

Draco quickly interjected before Ginny could do Blaise any mortal injury. His head hurt terribly, and the sooner Ginny left, the sooner he could go to Snape for a hangover remedy. "Blaise, has everyone gone down to breakfast yet?"

Blaise nodded. "Yeah, breakfast started twenty minutes ago."

"Right," Ginny said, moving towards the door. She paused, looking back at Draco.

Anticipating what she was about to say, he waved his hand carelessly at her. "We'll talk later," he said, mostly because he knew she wouldn't leave until he said something.

Ginny scowled, then ducked out of the room.

Blaise looked at Draco thoughtfully. "Was that a hickey I saw on Weasley's neck?"

Draco groaned. "Why the bloody hell are you so chipper today? You drank more than me, I'm sure."

Blaise smiled slyly. "I have my own supply of Anti-Hangover Potion."

Draco decided not to ask why. "Well, don't just sit there grinning like a damn fool and go get me some!"

* * *

Ginny snuck along the corridors, hoping that most of the student body was at breakfast and not wandering the halls. As she went, stopping at every corner to cautiously peer around, she mentally rebuked herself for going to Draco's room in the first place. She should have known better than to walk in to the serpent's lair…Ron would go crazy if he ever found out… 

"Oy, Gin!"

Ginny spun around, her hand automatically flying to the mark on her neck. "Hey, Seamus!" She said with a brightness she didn't feel, cursing her bad fortune.

Seamus jogged up to her, slowing as he neared her with a puzzled expression. "Is something wrong?"

Ginny had always wanted the attention of someone besides Ron, and if a seventh year had approached her with intentions as clear as Seamus' a month ago, she would have welcomed it. But now, she was hung over, hungry, tired, and confused, and she wanted to be alone to think very badly. She was beginning to regret ever accepting Seamus' advances as something good.

"Nothing is wrong, Seamus," Ginny gritted out, a bit more harshly than she'd intended. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she cast Seamus an apologetic smile. "I just am not feeling well today. Perhaps I'll talk to you later?"

Not waiting for Seamus to reply, Ginny turned with a sigh and begin walking back towards Griffindor tower.

* * *

Seamus watched Ginny walk away, his response dying out as he realized she wasn't listening. He was getting the feeling Ginny didn't want a relationship, but he wasn't quite ready to give up. Sighing, he turned to continue to breakfast, but was startled by a sound coming from a suit of armor. Casting a wary glance, he stopped and surveyed the hallway. 

Seeing nothing, he shook his head. Maybe there was something wrong with him? He shrugged, but didn't get two steps before being hit in the back with a spell he didn't recognize that caused him to see blackness before falling to the ground.

* * *

Ron was feeling as though everything was changing very quickly. His two best friends were turning on him, and he didn't really want to fight with them. Even his appetite (which he considered healthy) wasn't up to its normal standards. He picked at his food at breakfast, listening to Dean jabber on about something or other. Scanning the table between nods to Dean, he noticed Seamus was missing, as well as Ginny. As a matter of fact, he hadn't seen her come in last night either, but he'd spent most of it in his dorm, avoiding Harry and Hermione. 

"Ron."

Startled out of his reverie, Ron dropped the forkful of eggs he'd been holding. "Seamus?"

"Last I checked," Seamus said, looking at Ron oddly.

Ron thought Seamus looked a bit off, but he couldn't focus on anything right then. "Have you seen Ginny?"

"As a matter of fact, I just did."

Ron furrowed his brow. "She's not coming to breakfast?"

"Actually, she went straight back to the common room. I don't believe she was feeling very well."

Ron gave Seamus an odd look for his abnormal behavior, and then pushed away from the table. "I'm done," he announced, effectively ending Dean's one-sided conversation.

Ron walked along the halls aimlessly, unsure of what he should do now. He wasn't ready to talk to Harry or Hermione just yet, though he felt like he was only delaying the inevitable. Turning his steps in the direction of the common room, he decided to check up on Ginny.

Ron went back to the common room, and then walked over to the girl's dormitories. "Ginny!" he bellowed up the stairs.

"Coming," she called down exasperatedly. When she came down, she was wearing a black turtleneck and jeans.

Ron frowned at her attire. "I thought you weren't feeling well. Why get dressed?"

"Oh, I, uh," Ginny floundered. "I just decided to go to the library later."

"You know," Ron began, moving over to an armchair in front of the fire, "I noticed earlier this week that you were watching Malfoy. You even seemed to move quicker when he was around. Is there something I should know about?"

Ginny didn't remember Ron ever being that observant before. "If I move quicker around him, it's to provide a moving target," she said flatly. "I don't want him to bite my head off."

Ron narrowed his eyes at her. "Tell me if he's bothering you."

Ginny nodded, turning and traveling back up the stairs.

* * *

Ginny spent the rest of the day lounging around and icing her neck, hoping to mask the red welt there. She finally discovered a spell that worked for just such instances in a copy of Witch Weekly (Make Out, then Fake Out!). It was getting late now, and she was starting to feel very badly about treating Seamus so severely in the morning. It wasn't his fault she wasn't being careful around Draco and it wasn't fair to him. Maybe she should apologize… 

Walking down to the common room she found it empty except for Seamus who was sitting in a chair reading. She noted the time, thinking it was odd for everyone to be in bed so early. "Seamus?" She called.

Seamus looked up from his book, snapping it shut and looking up at her. "Yes?"

Ginny was momentarily distracted by how cold his normally friendly eyes were. Was she really that rude to him? "I, uh, wanted to, uh, apologize for-,"

"There's no need," Seamus interrupted.

"Er…" Ginny was confused. Was he angry?

"No, I really should apologize, I just haven't, uh," Ginny couldn't continue. She saw a familiar expression on Seamus' face, and it was disturbing. He looked at her like Tom used to, as if he felt pity for her even though he was the source of her pain.

"Been feeling quite like yourself?" Seamus supplied with a smile that made Ginny's blood run cold. Standing he put his arm around her shoulders, and she fought down her sudden nausea as he continued. "Believe me, I understand _exactly_ what you mean."

* * *

AN: I had a bit of a block while trying to write this, and so I wrote a v. short fluffy one-shot to clear my head. It's pretty cute actually, and if you want to check it out, it is called The Impotence Of Being Earnest. Huggles to Pia for coming up with the name and summary! There is also a fic up on Ebony Secrets that the wonderful Pia wrote, and it's amazing! 

Anyone have any ideas for Ron's revenge? Let me know!

Kerichi- Lol, I missed you last chapter! Seamus figures Ginny would welcome any advances by a seventh year, so he expects her to be grateful he's paying attention to her. And Ginny doesn't have the best track record for popularity, so sometimes she wants someone to be there for her so much, she starts accepting what she doesn't necessarily want. But I think Draco might change all that, don't you? ; ) Blaise is actually the big drinker, so he probably accounted for a bottle all by himself. Don't forget, they had the rest of a day and all night.

Pia- My block is gone! I've alsogotten chapter 1 of the fic, so we can look over that and post soon! I realize things seemed a bit rushed with Draco and Ginny last chapter, but let's not forget: they were completely sloshed. It'll take a while for them to have any true feelings (sober, that is) so don't be disappointed!

Embellished- Thanks a bunch, but you might stop feeling sorry for Seamus _very_ quickly.

Person with no keys (Anna)- Thank you for finally reviewing, and I did have to resort to drastic measures! But, one would be sufficient lol. I don't like Harry, but just for you, I put HHr…ick, I had to rinse my brain afterwards.

Sneere- Thank you for reviewing, and I'm sorry if you're getting bored. I agree, seeing how people construct Blaise is interesting. My reasoning behind Dumbledore is that it always seemed in canon that he was closer to McGonagall than any other person, so for her to have trusted him and him not to have been able to protect her would certainly be a huge blow. I'm sorry, but I don't plan on making any of the current characters any darker than they already are, though quite obviously, there will be darker stuff later on in the plot.


	9. Ninth

The next day, having heard nothing from Dumbledore regarding her time-traveling ancestors, Ginny quickly walked to Dumbledore's office before lunch. Staring perplexedly at the gargoyle, she realized she had no idea what the password was. Sighing, she slumped to the ground next to it, hoping that a teacher would come by and solve her current dilemma.

Ginny leaned her head against the cold stone behind her, thinking about Seamus' recent odd actions. Ron had also been very intuitive for once, but it hadn't exactly been in her favor. Ginny allowed a small smile to drift across her lips at what he would say if he ever found out she had spent an entire day and night in Draco's company.

"Are you feeling quite alright? Got something going on in that head of yours that's funny?"

Ginny's eyes snapped open to take in the boy who stood above her. She hadn't even heard him approach. "I didn't know you cared. I'm touched."

"One would assume," he replied loftily, motioning to his head to suggest his doubt about her mental competence.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at his insolence. "You said we would talk."

"I say quite a variety of things. Excellent training, understand."

Ginny scampered to her feet. It seemed to her that she might be better off in this conversation if she weren't craning her neck to see the person she was talking to.

Make that arguing with. "Usually, when people say they'll do things, they follow through."

Draco cocked his head as if she'd said something interesting. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really!" Ginny was starting to lose her patience.

"Then follow through I shall," Draco said gallantly. "We will talk…soon."

Ginny put her hands on her hips. "And when would your majesty define soon?"

Draco smiled at her irritability. It was exceedingly effortless to anger this one. "Later than now, before never."

Ginny looked murderous. "Do you enjoy antagonizing me like this? Do you think I enjoy it?"

Draco bowed slightly. "Forgive me if I'm touched with a modicum of compassion fatigue."

"Touched with incurable stupidity is more like it," Ginny muttered under her breath.

Draco heard perfectly. "Well, honestly, I could say the same of you."

"No, you couldn't."

Draco looked thoughtful. "Well, I probably _wouldn't_, now that you mention it. I would probably say 'you're a complete idiot,' or quite possibly 'you're without question the stupidest person alive, possibly suffering from auto- intoxication and should consider an enema.' But then, I doubt I'd even use those. Vernacular slang does irritate me so."

"Foolish, dense, irksome boy."

"Pauperized, incompetent, abortive irritation."

"You arse-," Ginny's probable response was cut short by the appearance of the headmaster from behind the gargoyle.

"Yes?" He asked the two students who were glaring at each other in front of his gargoyle.

Draco started to say something, but was cut off by a smug Ginny. "What _I_ was wondering, Headmaster," she began, knowing she was being childish and not caring, "is if I could speak to Lantur and Predak. Do you know where I can find them?"

Dumbledore scratched his beard thoughtfully. "You could try in the library."

Ginny started to thank him, but stopped abruptly as he continued. "I doubt they'd have their own section, however. Perhaps in Hogwarts: A History?"

Ginny stared at him in shock. "They've left? Without telling us anything else?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I'm afraid that matters out of their control interfered with their visit."

Draco nodded amiably. "Oh, that's perfectly alright. I'm sure we'll catch them for tea the next time the world ends." Not waiting for any response, Draco turned and walked down the corridor in the direction he'd come from.

Ginny turned back to Dumbledore. "Did they say anything before they left?"

Dumbledore withdrew a necklace from his pocket. "As a matter of fact, yes. Lantur left this with me, and asked that I give it to you immediately. She said that within is the answer, but you can receive it only after you've solved your problem."

Ginny took the necklace, gasping at its beauty. It was a silver heart-shaped locket, on the end of a fine chain. If you looked closely at the chain, you could see gold intertwined with the silver. The locket said nothing on the outside, and when she tried to open it, Ginny found she couldn't.

"That's all they left? And that's exactly what she said?" Ginny asked, never taking her eyes off the locket.

"That's all, Miss Weasley. Now, it is my understanding that it is your lunch hour. This may require further thought, but now isn't the opportune time," Dumbledore said, smiling kindly.

"Yes," Ginny responded absent-mindedly, fastening the locket around her neck. "Thank you."

* * *

Draco walked back into the Slytherin common room, in a considerably better mood from his argument with Ginny. He went to his room, but he had barely shut the door when someone knocked hard and nearly sent it flying back into his face. He flung up his hand instinctively, wincing when the door connected head-on. 

Draco sighed, carefully moving it open to see Blaise with a sheepish grin. "Blaise, I understand that any person would be jealous of my astonishing good looks. But, most don't get so resentful of them that they actually try to maim my beautiful face, disfigure my nose, mar my-,"

"It's ok, Draco," Blaise said breezily as he strode into the room. "I wouldn't want your head to swell from injury to any greater size than it already has from ego."

Draco sat on his bed with a grimace, nursing the hand that had taken the hit. "Nice to know you care."

Blaise grinned. "Anything for my best mate. Well, in news not concerning your majesty, we have a huge problem."

"I know," Draco said with a frown. "I make look like royalty, but everyone has been mistaken lately. Of course, they could probably be forgiven."

"Yes, yes, enough about you," Blaise said, casting Draco a rare serious glance.

Draco saw it, and confused, immediately sobered. Blaise was almost never serious.

"Dumbledore has apparently cancelled all further Hogsmeade visits. He's also reinforcing that ban on the Forest, and now even Care of Magical Creatures will be moved inside of the castle," here Blaise cast Draco a glance, "Tell me you had no idea about any of this. I know you went to his office today."

Draco looked at Blaise with interest. "Well done, Blaise. You're a lot more perceptive than you ever were before."

"Mmm," Blaise said in agreement. "And you're just as good at avoiding questions as you ever were."

Draco sighed. "Well, this is going to take a great deal of explaining…"

* * *

Ginny was walking in the direction of Great Hall for lunch when she remembered she had left her books for the afternoon in her dormitory. As she turned in the direction of Griffindor Tower, she had the oddest feeling of being watched, which she dismissed as insignificant. 

She got up to the tower without any problems, but was surprised to see that it wasn't empty, as she'd previously assumed. "Hello, Ginevra."

She stopped, halfway through the portrait hole. "Hey, Seamus," she said, confused. Few people used her few name.

Seamus stood, walking over to her. He smiled down at her, but it lacked any of his usual warmth.

Ginny suddenly felt as though this entire situation was wrong. "You know what, Seamus," she stammered, backing out of the portrait hole, causing the Fat Lady to start muttering about indecisive kids. "I think I'll hurry to go grab some lunch."

Seamus smiled again. "That's a great idea. I'll walk you."

Ginny turned, having no choice but to agree. As she walked beside him, he slid his hand to the small of her back, and she twisted away. At his questioning glance, she responded lamely, "I'm ticklish."

They made it to Great Hall without incident, and Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. Seamus was acting very weird lately. Reaching to her throat to feel for the locket, she stopped suddenly. It was burning hot.

* * *

"Are you kidding me?" 

Draco gave Blaise a plaintive look. "You know I hate rhetorical questions, right?"

"Isn't that a rhetorical question?"

Draco gave Blaise a look. "But I digress… Apparently, Ginevra Weasley and myself are the only two who have any chance of stopping this threat. Which is, to me, amazingly lacking in any sort of intelligent foundation."

Blaise frowned in agreement. "What do they expect you two to do?"

"Therein lies the problem."

Blaise looked thoughtful. "Why don't you try looking up these people in the Library, and finding out more about them?"

Draco looked at Blaise as if he were stupid. "Because I have no intention of doing anything."

"Hmmm… There's the Draco I remember. Selfish to a fault. So, what do you plan on doing?"

"That remains to be seen," Draco said; he was loath to tell Blaise his now-ruined plan.

Blaise stood to go. "Well, I'm going to go get some lunch. Are you coming?"

Draco waved his hand dismissively. "No, I'm not all that hungry."

Blaise nodded and left, leaving Draco to his thoughts.

No more Hogsmeade visits… Well, this was certainly a setback. But he was sure he could easily sneak out at some point anyway, regardless of the heightened security. You don't grow up the son of one of the most elusive Death Eaters and learn nothing, he thought bitterly. Even so, Draco felt a pang of guilt at leaving Blaise behind. And the Weasley girl, she probably didn't deserve to have him leave her behind like this either. But, he thought savagely, not everyone deserved what they had to go through. Resolving to leave that night, before any other doubts shook his already tenuous grip on his identity, he began to pack. Draco Malfoy would be gone by morning.

* * *

Ginny was sitting, trying to pay attention through Potions. Draco wasn't in class, which was odd. Snape had also noticed, his eyes periodically flicking to Draco's empty seat while he lectured. 

Ginny began to wonder what had happened to him. He surely couldn't have gotten sick so quickly; she'd just seen him before lunch. She looked around the room, and Blaise was also looking at Draco's chair perplexedly. Well, that settled it.

Normally, she wouldn't care, but she needed him to help her with this problem, and he was the only one who could. No matter how infuriating it was to try, she needed to talk to Draco as soon as possible.

Ginny hadn't gone to dinner, and in an attempt not to run into Seamus, she went directly back to her dormitory after her last class and stayed there, giving Hermione an excuse about feeling ill when she inquired.

She worked ahead in her classes (She wasn't in advanced Potions for nothing), and then decided to get some extra sleep. Lying there until her roommates came in for bed some hours later; Ginny pondered how to approach Draco tomorrow.

Sometime towards the middle of the night, Ginny woke up in a cold sweat, not even aware she'd dozed off. She gasped, lifting the locket off of her bare skin. It was even hotter than it had been the previous day, and it seemed to burn her skin right through.

She tried to undo the clasp, but found none, just a smooth chain that ran all the way around her neck, too small to slip over her head. Still holding the locket away from her throat, she staggered out of bed, passing the window and chancing a glance down. There, she saw a small figure walking hurriedly across the grounds. Its cloak slipped down, and she had a glance of unmistakable blond hair. Oh, so he thought he was going to get out of this easily? Ginny grabbed her wand quickly, pointing at the figure. "Impediamenta!" She whispered. Seeing it stop suddenly, she ran to grab her cloak.

* * *

Draco cursed as he felt something hit him, recognizing it at once. Advanced curse. Damn, maybe a teacher saw him. 

Regardless of his now hindered movement, he struggled with moving forward, but found himself staggering in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. Draco cursed again, but stopped suddenly as he heard a sound from the Forest to his right. He froze, not daring to look.

There was a low growling sound, and Draco now turned his head slowly, but saw nothing but blackness in front of him. He wouldn't be able to run well, not with this curse on him. Whoever cast it was nowhere in sight.

Slowly removing his wand from its normal position up his sleeve, he ran through his current options.

This is irony, he thought. Running away, only to get killed sooner.

"Finite Incantatem!"

Draco collapsed, not prepared for the full use of his limbs to be returned to him. Wincing, he turned to face-

"Weasely!"

"Well, who else? Did you honestly think I would just let you leave me to figure out this whole mess by myself?"

Draco winced, noticing that she didn't go to any length to keep her voice down, but now the Forest was silent. "We have to get out of here," he said, limping away.

"Oh, no, you don't! Don't make me use the curse on you again!"

"Do trouble to keep your voice down," Draco said between gritted teeth. He had thought before that Ginny Weasley possessed some sort of intelligence, but it was becoming increasingly apparent that she had all the intellectual capability of pumpkin juice.

Ginny noticed his apparent discomfort and, to her credit, lowered her voice. "Are you ok?"

"I'm dandy. Worried for my life, in extreme pain, stuck next to the Forbidden Forest, but dandy all the same."

The two of them moved silently away from the Forest, pausing by the lake. Draco noticed it was the same place they'd been before and again, saw the irony of their current situation.

Ginny frowned, turning to him. "Where are you hurt, Malfoy?"

"Nowhere that won't heal by itself, eventually."

"Must you always be this obstinate?"

Draco slanted his head toward hers. "It's a gift."

Ginny ignored the way her throat had gone dry when he had turned towards her, instead busying herself pulling out her wand. "Alright, since you won't tell me…"

She waved her wand over his legs, golden sparks following its movement. When she finished, she sat back on her heels and muttered some words under her breath, and a red light began to hover over his right ankle.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Someone's been paying attention in class."

"Shut up, Malfoy," she responded, not looking up at him, but beginning to roll his trouser leg up.

Draco sat silently as Ginny inspected his ankle, and then muttered a spell over it. Immediately, the pain receded, and a cooling numbness entered. He bit his tongue to keep from groaning in relief, instead nodding at her. "Thank you." He started to stand, but Ginny gently put her hand on his shoulder. "It's best if you wait about an hour before trying to put any weight on it."

Draco sat back, looking at her apprehensively. "You are completely aware of what I was trying to do tonight?"

Ginny nodded. "I am."

"Well, then, not to be blunt, why the hell are you helping me?"

"Because I understand why you're trying to go."

Draco leaned back on his hands. "Do you really?"

"I'd like to think so."

"You'd probably like to think a lot of things," Draco said blandly. "That doesn't make them true."

Ginny looked at Draco, and he saw trust in her eyes, trust he didn't deserve. "Why are you so quick to think that I'll help you at all?"

Ginny smiled benignly. "If you were so set on leaving, you would have Stunned me, and probably be gone by now."

Draco had indeed thought about this possibility, and he hated that she had summed up his emotions that easily.

"I suppose you think I'll stay now?"

Ginny smiled again. "I think you'll do whatever you think is best for yourself. You just might be surprised at what that is."

Draco had to smile. "So, you got me all figured out now, huh?"

"Hardly. But, I'd like to think I have a good idea."

There was silence for a few minutes, and then Draco sighed. "You may never have a better idea than you do right now. But, I'll stay."

Ginny smiled, and he felt something tighten. How could she be so trusting with him?

Draco sighed again, rising to his feet despite her protestations. "If we don't get back up to the castle before the teachers do rounds, we'll be stuck in detention. My ankle will live."

"At least lean on me," Ginny said, coming close to him and putting her arm around his waist.

Draco said nothing, looking down on her. She shouldn't be associating with him. She should be above this kind of shit. Before he could stop himself, he leaned down and brushed her lips gently with his own, swallowing her gasp. Then he drew away, just as quickly as he had initiated the kiss. "Thank you, Ginny."

The unlikely pair turned as one, starting towards the castle without any further conversation. Neither noticed another pair of eyes who watched them go.

* * *

AN: Wow, this chapter just would not be finished. I had expected it to be shorter, but it got away from me. Oh, well. 

Kerichi- Actually, I think Butterbeer does have a minute amount of alcohol in it, nothing that would really hurt, which is why it's served in The Three Broomsticks to kids. Lol, yeah, Ginny probably isn't normally so prone to cursing, but all things considered, she probably had the right this time.

Pia- Whew, I'm glad you think so! Yes! Rum! Lmao… I know I had mentioned adding Pansy, but then I'd give all my thoughts about Ron/Pansy to this story, and I'd have no more corny ideas for Bleed Like Me O.O That would never do, so I'll stick with my basic layout here, and Ron/Pansy can reign next time!

Irene- Thanks so much for reviewing! Yes, Draco is hardly as mean as he was before, but he's still the Draco we all know and love!

Ok, I've actually given serious thought to putting this story on hiatus until I get some more ideas, because I'm co-writing another story simultaneously. It won't be abandoned, definitely not, but if it's not working the way it's going now, I may take a break from it. I think this one might be getting a bit weird, but I wouldn't really know, so please, drop me a review to let me know what you think I should do!


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